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GOOD-BYE TO EDDIE HOGAN'S FAMOUS "FLO?"
A BLOW TO DOWN-AND-OUTS
of underpaid girls, who were placed
on the stand before Lieut.-Gov.
Eddie Hogan, known throughout
the country as tie owner of "Hogan's
Flop," where the down-and-outs rest
themselves for five cents a night, is
through.
This announcement has brought a
tinge of further sadness into the lives
of the drifters of Madison street. For
to them the "flop" was home.
Eddie is to abandon the West Side,
in the history of which he has carved
an everlasting notch, and go out West
to spend the remainder of his life.
The West Side will miss him. All
of the silent line of friendless who
filed into his port of missing men at
night preferred the "flop" to the mu
nicipal lodging house, which, they
could enter for nothing. . For at Ed
die's there were no questions asked.
He understood them.
Social workers have learned much
from Eddie Hogan. Handling down-and-outs
was a business to him, not
a fad. But into the business he
brought a little of the lesson of the
Man of Gallilee when He said, "Love
ye, one another."
The picturesque West Side has had
few characters like Hogan. A phil
osopher, he hadn't-allowed 'his con
tact with the characters of the West
Side to distort his viewpoint..
The writer has talked to Eddie Ho
gan. He has heard this' unusual char
acter express his faith Jn the good
ness in human nature: "And it sound
ed like a religious sermon. There
was realtbrotherhood of man in it.
It sounded rather strange at first,
coming from Hogan. For he has had
to fight his way. But- it hasn't
dwarfed his nature. It has made him
kindlier: t'Some one once said that
"suffering made one .more consider
ate of others." And Hogan seems to
stand as living evidence that who
ever said it was right.
And as the writer listened to Ho
gan he thought of the other repre
sentatives of mankind, the employers
Barratt O'Hara and the Illinois Wel
fare Commission. It also brought
back the stories of the actions of the
millionaire owners of the Calumet
mines.
Life has been .very good to these
men, but the philosophy of the broth
erhood of man hasn't meant very
much to them.
The "flop" grew out of the soup
house started nineteen years ago at
Madison and Clinton streets by Ben
Hogan, an uncle of Eddie.
Hot soup was served to the men
at two cents a bowl. That soup
struck up a friendship between the
down-and-outs and the elder Hogan.
The following year the "flop" was
opened on Meridian street, between
Desplaines and Halsted streets. It
proved a haven to the men from the
nearby barrel-houses. Then the
younger and more active Hogan was
taken into the business and soon as
sumed control after "Uncle Ben," as
he is known, decided he needed a
rest.
Under Eddie it became one of the
landmarks of Chicago. Curiousstu
dents of big city life refused to be
lieve their studies completed unless
they had seen the "flop."
The municipal, lodging house was
opened, but it didn't prove much of a
rival to the "flop." At the former
place they were made to give a his
tory of their life. They claimed that
their personal rights were assailed.
So they went over to "friend Eddie's,"
where- they could enjoy personal lib
erty" for a nickel.
But Hogan has sold out. It's either
the usual type of lodging house or the
"municipal" for them now.
The earth and rock taken out of
the Panama Canal would fill a tunnel
JCfeet in diameter bored through the
earth at the equator.
S&- &$& . - o k
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